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Archbishop to celebrate Holy Week and Easter

Archbishop Blase J. Cupich will observe Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum with liturgical celebrations at Holy Name Cathedral and around the Archdiocese. He will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass, commemorating the Resurrection of the Lord, on March 27, at 11 a.m., at St. Ailbe Parish, 9015 South Harper Avenue in Chicago.

Holy Week is the last week of Lent, immediately preceding Easter Sunday. Observed by Catholics as a time to commemorate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, various special liturgies are celebrated during the Paschal Triduum, the three days before Easter.

Archbishop Cupich will begin Holy Week as the main celebrant of Palm Sunday Mass with parishioners of Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets in Chicago, on Sunday, March 20, at 11 a.m.

On Tuesday, March 22, Archbishop Cupich will be the main celebrant and homilist at the annual Chrism Mass beginning at 2 p.m., at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets in Chicago. During this Mass, the oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick and the oil of chrism for use in parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago will be blessed. These oils will be accepted by representatives of each parish in the Archdiocese and used for adult catechumens and infants, for Anointing of the Sick, for Baptism, for Confirmation, for the Ordination of priests and for the consecration of altars.

On the evening of Holy Thursday, March 24, the Catholic Church celebrates the Mass of The Lord’s Supper, which includes the ritual washing of feet that recalls Jesus washing the feet of his apostles, followed by Eucharistic processions with evening adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that continues throughout the night. Archbishop Cupich will be the main celebrant at this Mass, at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets in Chicago, beginning at 5:15 p.m.

Good Friday, March 25, marks the day Catholics remember Christ’s suffering and death with special Stations of the Cross devotions, including outdoor processions of the living stations and veneration of the cross. The annual Pilsen Neighborhood Via Crucis, or living Stations of the Cross, begin at 8:30 a.m., at Providence of God Parish, 717 West 18th Street in Chicago. Participants process along 18th Street to Harrison Park, 18th Street and Wood Street in Chicago, and complete the journey at St. Adalbert Parish, 1650 West 17th Street in Chicago, at approximately 12 p.m.

That evening, Archbishop Cupich will be the main celebrant at the solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday at 5:15 p.m., at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets in Chicago.

On Holy Saturday, March 26, Archbishop Cupich will bless Easter baskets, at 1:15 p.m., at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets in Chicago. The blessing of Easter Baskets has been a Catholic tradition for centuries, especially among families of Eastern European origin. The ritual has since been adopted by people of all ethnic backgrounds. Baskets usually contain boiled eggs, meats, bread and other food and sweet items that will be consumed on Easter Sunday following Mass.

Holy Saturday also marks an evening of liturgical celebrations that include a solemn blessing of the Easter water with the chanting of the Litany of Saints, baptism of new members, the blessing and lighting of the Easter Candle from within a darkened church and the celebration in the late evening hours of the Easter Vigil Mass. Archbishop Cupich will be the main celebrant during the Easter Vigil Mass with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at Holy Name Cathedral, State and Superior Streets in Chicago, beginning at 8 p.m. Catechumens from Holy Name Cathedral Parish will become full members of the Catholic Church during the celebration by receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, as part of the RCIA process. On this night, approximately 450 adults will be baptized and fully initiated into the Catholic Church, and about 350 more will be received into the full Communion of the Catholic Church by being confirmed and receiving the Eucharist during Easter Vigil services throughout the Archdiocese.

Easter Sunday marks the closing of Holy Week. Archbishop Cupich will be the main celebrant of the Mass celebrating Christ’s Resurrection at St. Ailbe Parish, 9015 South Harper Avenue in Chicago, beginning at 11 a.m.

 

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